Category Archives: observations

customer experience u-haul

u-haul canada could use some lessons from their counterpart in the usa.  a number of recent events has me convinced the canadian franchises have a long way to go before the consumer in canada walks out feeling the same as they do in the states.  my experience  at the whalley store left me feeling as if i was some miscreant who just crawled in off the street. trying to book a reservations for a tow bar install at the marine drive branch and the coquitlam franchise left me with the impression that they didn’t need the business as it took more than 3 days to get a call back and then a last minute opening.  i ended up ordering online for delivery in the washington, then taking the parts to bellingham where i was treated like a super star by every staff person i dealt with young and old alike.  thanks to the guys at U-Haul Moving & Storage of Bellingham, 4549 Meridian St. Bellingham, WA 98226

grey day

other than the matchbox houses across the river with their maritime colours, the sky and river are nearly alike, save for the silver shimmer on the water, all is grey and murky. only the canada geese are active, madly courting with their strange cacophony of desire and battle.

egypt

what a remarkable change in direction…maybe! egypt’s youth may change the future, but the establishment will take control. meanwhile here in canada, our youth sits back and lets the opportunity for change pass them by! it depressing at times and makes me long still to live in europe, where young and old seem to have a desire to have a voice. vive la france vive!

i wish i knew how to quit you

…oh unrequited desire. how is it that what you can’t have is often placed before you to tempt your heart and torment your soul.

do it yourself!

true story. on the way home on skytrain, an elderly…well my age, gentleman, scruffy but not of the street, sorted through his shopping bags to pull out a book…hair cutting for dummies! he was, to be truthful in need of one and appeared to have done his last one in the dark. the minds image…

new years search for cheap gas

it can be found…sort of. beautiful clear day with amazing mountain views as we drove up the valley. mt. baker without a cloud in sight and the coast range sharp against the cobalt sky. oh, gas…a little stop on the fraser highway 2 minutes down the road for aldergrove $1.079.

it’s ugly…

saw the canadian pavilion for the 2010 olympics today. it is a true representation of stephen harper. bland, dull and uninviting, lacking creativeness, spirit or any of the attributes that would be expected of a dynamic and young nation. can you say boring tent! curious, here’s a look at the height of banality!

that’s life

today, someone i’ve known for many year was let go. what i’m finding odd is the sadness on so many faces, as though the world had changed. this happens every day and is part of change that all large corporations go through if they are to grow and move on. most people i see with long faces barely knew the man, other than a casual hello or a handshake at a christmas party or brief recognition at a staff function. i knew him as one of my managers, an acquaintance that felt like a casual friendship but wasn’t. however i did know him better than some and he was a cool guy, with an energy for life, passions and interests outside of the place he worked and extremely proud of his kids. he also liked to jog, wasn’t afraid to cry and had real compassion for those that he knew. good luck keith.

happybirthday!

so it is.  three score and one today and loving it!

truth is, all those cliches are true, i am only as old as i think i am, which is  somewhere between juvenile and wise.

i’m still spoiled, by family and friends. a lovely card and a cheque from my in laws who love me.  my partner who surprises me more often than is appropriate  and my son who just is.  friends, i seem to have enough, thoughtful even in the most trying of times, thank you all.

like

like wow, like i went to school and like it was like the worst day ever,  like how could that happen.

thus went the conversation next to me as i scarfed down my shwarma and oj.  what caught my attention was the ongoing reference to their scholarships and attending western washington university!  what was the scholarship for?  i can’t believe it had anything to do with academic skill. i suspect baton twirling.  or not! . sadly this is all too common and try as i might, i can’t get past the laziness of chatter these days.  what has happened to sentence structure and complete thoughts?